Looks like the gauntlets have been thrown down... From
News.com this morning, bold highlights are mine.
Originally Posted by News.com
Residents in NSW could be sipping beer at the local pub and attending events in large groups by the end of October if the state Premier has her way.Gladys Berejiklian made the bold promise while speaking to Sunrise on Wednesday morning. She said once the state hits it 70 per cent vaccination target for double doses “you can expect to do everything that you missed doing”. “Whether it is attending a public event or having a drink, if you are fully vaccinated and the state has hit its 70 per cent double dose target, please expect to do all of those things we have been missing for too long,” Ms Berejiklian said. “I’m looking forward to that and I want to thank everybody for coming forward to getting vaccinated.”
The Premier also pledged to ensure Australians could come home for Christmas with the state forecast to hit its 80 per cent double dose target in November.
“At 80 per cent double dose vaccination we can look forward to international travel and that is the plan that we all signed up to,” she said. “I am really committed to making sure NSW residents have access to international travel once we get that 80 per cent double dose and most importantly, I want every Aussie who wants to come home back to Australia to get back home for Christmas. “If that means coming through Sydney airport, you are more than welcome.”
The Premier was probed about whether NSW would go alone on the international travel plan if other states or territories remained reluctant to open up.
“I suspect Victoria will be with us,” Ms Berejiklian said. “I have not followed the case numbers today in Victoria but their path is not different to what NSW went through a month or two ago. “I would hope the two largest states will lead the way (and) that all the state premiers do what we all signed up to.”
Ms Berejiklian was adamant she did not want the eight million people in NSW to suffer because other jurisdictions would not stick to what was planned in terms of the country’s path out of the pandemic.
“If not at 80 per cent double dose, then when?,” she queried.
NSW recorded 1164 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday and more than 67 per cent of eligible residents had received one dose of the Covid vaccine in NSW.
According to the Covid Live website, which provides real-time updates on vaccination targets, NSW should reach 70 per cent for first doses on September 3. Seventy per cent of eligible residents should have had both doses by October 21. Ms Berejiklian told the Today show authorities were working on the QR code system so when a person checks into a business, it will signal whether they are vaccinated or not.
"Many places won’t let anybody in if you don’t have that vaccination verification,” she said. “The government policy will lead the way in terms of only allowing vaccinated people to do things at 70 per cent. “Even if you get to 80 per cent double dose some airlines might say you can’t fly with us unless you're fully vaccinated. I’m urging everyone to consider your options.”
The Premier said discussions would take place later this week about whether or not the regional lockdown would extend beyond September 10 as case numbers continued to pop up across the state. “We’ll have those conversations this week and next week about whether we can let some regions and some parts of our communities go back to a relatively normal life,” Ms Berejiklian said.